SIHH 2011: Panerai Luminor Composite Marina 1950 3 Days PAM00386

With its automatic Panerai P.9000 movement, its Luminor 1950 case in Panerai Composite and its strict adherence to the functional and aesthetic codes which make every Panerai watch unique, the Luminor Composite Marina 1950 3 Days Automatic - 44mm is a classic example of Panerai’s tradition for innovation and quality.

The Luminor 1950 case and the bridge protecting the winding crown are executed in Panerai Composite, the synthetic ceramic, used in haute horlogerie for the first time by Officine Panerai, which is created by an electro-chemical process involving the transformation of aluminum. Panerai Composite is much lighter than ceramic but at the same time it is much harder and more resistant than steel, furthermore it is matte and extremely distinctive in appearance. The large, unadorned brown dial is of a sandwich construction consisting of two superimposed layers containing the Super-LumiNova® which forms the fluorescent figures and hour markers. It is in the classic Panerai style, reflected by its thickness and high legibility even in the dark. The dial is protected by a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment.

The P.9000 automatic movement, which can be observed through the smoked sapphire crystal case back, is 13 ¾ lignes in diameter and 7.9 mm thick and it has been entirely designed and constructed within the Officine Panerai manufacture at Neuchâtel. This calibre has a date function, small seconds at 9 o’clock and a power reserve of three days, achieved by two spring barrels connected in series, with an oscillating rotor which winds the springs in both directions.

The Luminor Composite Marina 1950 3 Days Automatic - 44mm is water-resistant to 30 atmospheres (about 300 meters) and it is supplied with a strap of antiqued brown leather, with a Panerai Composite buckle of the same color. Identified by the reference PAM00386, it is part of the Contemporary collection.

Reference: PAM00386

Movement: Automatic mechanical, Panerai P.9000 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 13¾ lignes, 7.9 mm thick, 28 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 28,800 alternations/hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 3 days, two barrels, 197 components.

Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date.

Case: Diameter 44 mm, brown Panerai Composite.

Bezel: Brown Panerai Composite, integrated into the case.

Back: See-through burnished sapphire crystal.

Device protecting the crown: (protected as a Trademark) Brown Panerai Composite.

Dial: Brown with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers. Date at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock.

Crystal: Sapphire, made from corundum, 2.6mm thick. Anti-reflective coating.

Water-resistance: 30 bar (~300 meters).

Strap: PANERAI personalized leather strap and large-size Panerai Composite buckle. Supplied with a second interchangeable strap and a steel screwdriver.

SIHH 2011: Panerai Luminor Composite 1950 3 Days PAM00375 - 47mm

Officine Panerai presents a new Special Edition in Panerai Composite, the synthetic composite used in haute horlogerie for the first time by Officine Panerai and produced by an electro-chemical process of transforming aluminum. The new Luminor Composite 1950 3 Days - 47mm combines the characteristics and performance of this material, exceptional for its lightness, strength and durability, with the new hand-wound P.3000 calibre, entirely designed and produced in the Officine Panerai manufacture in Neuchâtel.

The Luminor 1950 case in Panerai Composite is 47 mm in diameter, a classic size for Panerai watches, and it has a matt brown appearance of great evenness. Made of the same material are the bridge protecting the winding crown with the classic clamping lever and the round bezel which surrounds the sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment. Water-resistant to 100 metres, the case has the polished crystal back which enables the movement to be seen.

The sandwich dial too is dark brown and stripped to essentials with the characteristic small seconds dial at 9 o’clock. The dial is of sandwich construction, being formed of two thin metal discs, the upper one of which is perforated to allow the luminous substance placed between them (Super-LumiNova®) to be seen. The hands are also covered with the same luminous substance, in a special ecru colour so as to reproduce the vintage appearance of the dials of the period.

The movement used in the Luminor Composite 1950 3 Days - 47mm is the manufacture P.3000 calibre. With a diameter of 16½ lignes and hand-wound, the movement has a structure with large bridges, comparable to plates, while from the technical point of view it has two spring barrels, ensuring a power reserve of 72 hours (three days), and a large-diameter balance wheel with adjusting screws.

Identified by the reference PAM00375, the new Luminor Composite 1950 3 Days - 47mm is produced in a unique numbered edition of 2,000 examples and it is supplied with a leather strap, closed by a buckle made of Panerai Composite.

Reference: PAM00375

Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, Panerai P.3000/1 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 16½ lignes, 5.3 mm thick, 21 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 21,600 alternations/hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 3 days, two barrels. 160 components.

Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds.

Case: Diameter 47 mm, brown Panerai Composite.

Bezel: Brown Panerai Composite, integrated into the case.

Back: See-through burnished sapphire crystal.

Device protecting the crown: (protected as a Trademark) Brown Panerai Composite.

Dial: Brown with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers. Small seconds at 9 o’clock.

Crystal: Sapphire, made from corundum, 2 mm thick. Anti-reflective coating.

Water-resistance: 10 bar.

Strap: PANERAI personalised leather strap and large-size Panerai Composite buckle. Supplied with a second interchangeable strap and a steel screwdriver.

SIHH 2011: Panerai Radiomir 3 Days Platino PAM00373 47MM

In Officine Panerai’s earlier days there was a rare, mysterious version of the Radiomir of which only two examples are known. This appeared at the end of the 1930s and was unusual for its unique and original dial design. The new Radiomir 3 Days Platino - 47 mmis a Special Edition which picks up this dial design, never previously revived in the history of Officine Panerai. The brown dial of the new Radiomir, protected by a Plexiglas® crystal, has a minimalist appearance, consisting of an alternation of bar-shaped hour markers – double ones at 12 o’clock and single ones at 3, 6 and 9 – and dot markers, rather than the characteristic large figures which are typical of the classic Panerai dial. To ensure the greatest legibility, as in the historic models, the dial is a sandwich construction: this consists of two superimposed discs, the upper one of which is perforated to form the hour markers through which the radiance of the luminous material between them emerges.

The origin of this dial is not easy to identify. According to some historians, the two surviving examples (which differ in that one has a small seconds dial and the other does not) were possibly test samples, which were not followed. The loss of the Panerai archive in the Florence flood of 1966 does not allow this to be known for certain, but the watch, together with the mystery surrounding it, has preserved all its fascination in the new Radiomir.

The Radiomir case, 47 mm in diameter, is made of platinum and it is water-resistant to 100 meters, a figure to which it is believed that the first Radiomirs could descend. The back has a large sapphire crystal window to display the movement and the strap attachments are of wire, no longer welded to the caseband as in the distant past, but removable (an Officine Panerai patent) to enable the strap to be changed more easily.

The Radiomir 3 Days Platino - 47 mm is fitted with the P.3000 calibre, entirely designed and manufactured in the Officine Panerai manufacture in Neuchâtel. The calibre is 16½ lignes in diameter, it has 21 jewels and the variable inertia 13,2 mm balance wheel enables its rate to be rapidly adjusted by means of the adjusting screws on the rim. With its structure of large bridges, a feature typical of Panerai movements, the P.3000 has two spring barrels which provide a power reserve of three days.

The new Radiomir 3 Days Platino - 47 mm (PAM00373) is produced in 199 numbered units and is completed by a brown alligator strap, closed by a buckle of polished white gold.

Reference: PAM00373

Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, Panerai P.3000 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 16½ lignes, 5.3 mm thick, 21 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 21,600 alternations/hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 3 days, two barrels. 160 components.

Functions: Hours, minutes.

Case: Diameter 47 mm, platinum with removable wire loop strap attachments (patented). Winding crown personalized OP.

Bezel: Platinum.

Back: See-through sapphire crystal.

Dial: Brown, with luminous hour markers.

Crystal: Plexiglas®, 2.8 mm thick.

Water-resistance: 10 bar (~100 meters).

Strap: PANERAI personalized alligator strap and large-size white gold buckle.

SIHH 2011: Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days PAM00372 - 47 MM

In the 1930s and 1940s the names Radiomir and Luminor identified the luminous materials used by Officine Panerai to increase the night-time and underwater visibility of the dials of the watches designed for the commandos of the Italian Navy. Over the years, these two terms have come to identify the two different case shapes of the iconic watches of the brand, one of which is a development of the other. In fact, the Luminor case came into being as a result of the need to make the Radiomir case still more water-resistant. To this end, the bridge device with clamping lever was added, protecting the winding crown and making it more water-resistant, while the large, straight lugs, milled with the case from a single block of metal, replaced the wire strap attachments, welded in place.

For the first time, a new Officine Panerai model uses a unique case which marks the historic development of the Radiomir case: the Luminor 1950 3 Days – 47 mm. The Luminor 1950 of the new model, executed in polished steel in the classic size of 47 mm, has a rounded, cuspshaped caseband, directly descended from the cushion design of the case which still today is characteristic of Radiomir watches.

Other details concern the constant search for the best blend between recovering the past and researching for innovation: the flat back with the large sapphire crystal window which enables the manufacture movement to be seen; the slightly narrower lugs which give a greater impetus to the whole; the Plexiglas® crystal; the engraving of the reference between the lugs, for the first time in the recent history of Officine Panerai but in this case directly derived from the historic originals; and the inscription “Luminor Panerai” which is no longer printed, but engraved on the dial in the lettering of the period. The dial too confirms Officine Panerai’s commitment to authenticity and loyalty to tradition: it employs the sandwich construction which provides excellent visibility under all conditions, as aresult of the large quantity of luminous material which is applied between the two thin sheets forming the dial, the radiance of which appears through the figures and the hour markers cut through the upper plate. The hour and minute hands are also covered with the same ecrucoloured luminous material.

The new Luminor 1950 3 Days – 47 mm is fitted with the P.3000 calibre, a hand-wound mechanical movement entirely designed and developed by the Officine Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel. With a diameter of 16½ lignes, the P.3000 has the characteristic structure of large bridges, two spring barrels providing a power reserve of three days and a variable inertia, 13.2 mm balance wheel which enables the rate of the watch to be adjusted quickly and easily by means of the screws positioned externally around the rim.

Identified by the reference PAM00372, 3,000 units of the Luminor 1950 3 Days – 47 mm are being made. It is supplied with a leather strap – with vintage treatment making it very similar to the straps of the models of the time – closed by the classic Panerai buckle in brushed steel.

Reference: PAM00372

Movement: Hand-wound mechanical, Panerai P.3000 calibre, executed entirely by Panerai, 16½ lignes, 5.3 mm thick, 21 jewels, Glucydur® balance, 21,600 alternations/ hour. Incabloc® anti-shock device. Power reserve 3 days, two barrels. 160 components.

Functions: Hours, minutes.

Case: Diameter 47 mm, polished steel.

Bezel: Polished steel.

Back: See-through sapphire crystal.

Device protecting the crown: (protected as a Trademark) Brushed steel.

Dial: Black with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers.

Crystal: Plexiglas®, 3 mm thick.

Water-resistance: 10 bar (~100 metres).

Strap: PANERAI personalised leather strap and large-size brushed steel buckle. Supplied with a second interchangeable strap and a steel screwdriver.

Panerai Boutique Edition Beverly Hills and New York

If you happen to be visiting New York or Beverly Hills in February, and you happen to be passing by the Panerai boutiques in these two bastions of Americanism, you may come across some special editions from Panerai created exclusively for the aforementioned boutiques.

Beverly Hills

PAM00406 - $17,900 - 44mm Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT – Limited to 20 pieces

New York

PAM00407 - $12,500 - 45mm Radiomir 8 Days – Limited to 20 pieces

PAM00417 - $5,100 - 44mm Luminor Marina – Limited to 150 pieces

Panerai Firenze Special Editions

Announced December 2005

PAM 229 Luminor Marina

PAM 228 Luminor GMT

PAM 224 Luminor Chrono

Firenze Special Edition Caseback

Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta Rattrapante Watch

In 2009, Officine Panerai has created a special edition timepiece inspired by the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge. The international vintage boat event, with Panerai acting as its sponsor, attracts the most incredible yachts, ready to take the challenge of competing in a series of regattas on an international circuit, in both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

The new Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta Rattrapante 44 mm DLC, developed as a real sailor’s instrument, has been produced in a limited edition of just 500 pieces. The precision of this split-seconds chronograph is guaranteed by the COSC-chronometer certificate.

The signature cushion-shaped case of new Panerai watch, 44mm in diameter , is sculptured in stainless steel featuring a black DLC treatment. DLC, standing for "Diamond-Like Carbon", improves the hardness of the stainless steel material, and significantly enhances its corrosion-resistance.

The winding crown at the right side of the case is protected by the Panerai security system, offering 100-meter water-resistance. The two buttons at the sides of the crown are for governing the chronograph start, stop, and return to zero functions. You will notice one more additional button at 8 o'clock for activating the complex split-seconds function.

The black dial of the Regatta Rattrapante watch is embellished with a fine hobnail pattern. There is a tachymeter scale at the periphery of the dial. The dial is completed with luminous hour markers and two chronograph counters. The timepiecedial is highlighted by accents in brilliant blue, including the five minute countdown featured by the 30-minute counter, and the central split-seconds chronograph hand.

The dial is protected by a 2-mm thick anti-reflective sapphire crystal. The black-coated stainless steel case-back reveals a special commemorative engraving of the event logo.

The Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta Rattrapante 44mm DLC watch accommodates a self-winding mechanical movement - the Panerai OP XVIII caliber. The highly-reliable movement, with a balance frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, provides 42 hours of power reserve. The prestigious split-seconds (rattrapante) complication is governed by two column wheels.